ANNAN TO MAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO HAITI
AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

New York, Aug 1 2006 - Secretary-General Kofi Annan travels tomorrow to Haiti and the Dominican Republic for an official visit during which he will hold talks with the political leadership of the Caribbean neighbours and senior officials and commanders from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Mr. Annan will meet Haiti's President Rene Préval, Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis and Foreign Minister Jean Reynald Clerisme, and is also likely to address a joint session of the nation's parliament, a UN spokesman told reporters today.

The Secretary-General is also scheduled to meet senior officials and commanders with MINUSTAH, as well as tour the Haitian National Police Academy and a paediatric hospital unit backed by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mr. Annan then heads to the Dominican Republic, where he will hold talks with President Leonel Fernandez, as well as leaders of the country's Congress and the Supreme Court.